From the Bay to Baltimore: How Project Rampart Is Shaping the Next Generation of Student-Athlete Leaders
What happens when you take some of the Bay Area’s most driven student-athletes across the country to the headquarters of one of the world’s biggest sports brands? For Sofia Gonzalez from KIPP King Academy and Rubi Solis from Impact Academy of Arts and Technology in Hayward, the answer is simple: everything changes.
Both Sofia and Rubi are members of Project Rampart, a student-athlete leadership program sponsored by Under Armour that brings together student-athletes to develop leadership skills, explore how sports intersect with education, and build connections that go far beyond the playing field. These two young women were nominated by their respective athletic directors for their strong character, grades, and the way they show up for their schools every day.
“Project Rampart is a program that helps us develop our leadership, as well as being able to see different perspectives on sports,” Rubi explained. For Sofia, it’s more than just athletics, values play a key role. “Sports can affect education and give us values that will help impact our leadership abilities,” she said.
Before Project Rampart, Sofia and Rubi were complete strangers. They attend different high schools, play different sports, and have only been in the same room a handful of times since the program kicked off last fall. With meeting taking place just once a month, the two have technically only spent about a week and a half together in person. And yet, somewhere between those monthly sessions, a genuine friendship has blossomed.
“I feel like we were just one of those friendships where you just connected really fast,” Sofia reflected. Rubi agreed: “We got to connect really quickly, and it was nice to have a friendship like ours.” It’s a reminder that when you bring young people together around shared values and a love of sport, the bonds that form can be surprisingly real.
That sense of community extended even further when the cohort traveled to Baltimore to visit Under Armour’s global headquarters. Students toured the facility, got a workout in on-site, visited local colleges, and soaked in the history of Baltimore. And in a moment neither will forget, they got to meet the founder and CEO of Under Armour, Kevin Plank. “Being able to be in the Under Armour headquarters and seeing things that not everyone can see is just such a blessing,” Rubi said.
But beyond the bucket-list moments, the trip sparked something deeper in both of them. For Rubi, a senior who had been weighing college options purely for academic reasons, conversations with coaches opened an entirely new way of thinking about her future. “I really want to take the opportunity and see what opportunities I can get through [soccer],” she said. Before the trip, she wasn’t even sure she’d continue playing soccer after high school. Now, she’s keeping every door open before making her final college decision.
Sofia, a junior, left Baltimore feeling more prepared and motivated, with new connections, fresh ideas about future majors, and a stronger sense of what’s possible. “I feel like it definitely helped put some ideas in my mind,” she said.
Their message to future student-athletes considering Project Rampart? Don’t think twice.
“You’ll not only just learn, but you’ll grow through this and be able to build bonds and friendships that you would least expect,” Rubi said. Sofia shared, “Keep grinding and keep pushing.”
BACSAC Student-Athletes participating in Project Rampart 2025-2026
Impact Academy
- Rubi Solis ‘26
KIPP King
- Caleb Sorrel ‘27
- Chloe Casale ‘27
- Jordan Nguyen ‘27
- Kayhana Castigador ‘27
- Ava Gardley ‘28
- Bella Guan ‘28
- Hector Arriaga Villegas ‘28
- Lenin Acevedo ‘28
- Lucero Villanueva ‘28
- Sofia Gonzalez ‘28
Learn More & Get Involved
🔗 Learn more about Project Rampart and Under Armour’s commitment to student-athlete leadership: https://about.underarmour.com/en/Purpose/impact/project-rampart.html
🤝 Under Armour deepens its commitment to Oakland with a $100K matched donation to support student-athletes in our community: https://about.underarmour.com/en/stories/2026/03/under-armour-deepens-commitment-to-oakland-student-athletes-with.html
❤️ Support Oakland student-athletes — every dollar goes directly toward programs like Project Rampart that are changing lives: https://oakland-athletic-league.square.site/product/oakland-athletic-league/ZJYPMCOQWDYHZKKVB2WY2UFG?cs=true&cst=custom